India finally gets a double-cab truck that’s actually meant for the active family lifestyle. We test the most desirable Isuzu D-Max yet: the V-Cross
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Did you know that the best-selling car in the USA is actually a ‘truck’? Well, terminology may differ but a pick-up truck — the Ford F-150, in particular — is the best-selling model. While India is known to have an aversion to estate cars, the pick-up has suffered an almost similar fate; only it’s perceived as a commercial vehicle more than a lifestyle choice of car. That’s where the D-Max V-Cross from Isuzu comes in. Unlike the others, it actually packs goodies and tech from a mid-size car. More importantly, it puts the ‘fun’ in function.
Truck-bed doubles up as your boot and can take up to 265 kg
The D-Max V-Cross has a smart, purposeful exterior dominated by design and chrome. It’s over five metres long, nearly two metres wide and six feet tall. The headlamp units are large and incorporate projectors, the side-steps are chunky and add to the butch purposeful stance.
Extremely capable turbo-diesel 2.5 produces 136 PS and 320 Nm
The V-Cross is available only as a double-cab with a boot of 265 kg, which means it has four doors and two-row seating ahead of a truck-bed. It rides high-profile 245/70 Rs 16 tyres and sports a ground clearance of 225 mm.
The cabin packs in all modern comforts. Pics/Sanjay Raikar
At Rs 15.2 lakh (on-road, Pune), the V-Cross costs twice as much as the base D-Max single-cab, and for good reason. Step inside and you have a spread of beige fabric upholstery with contrasting plastic and silver accents. Now, the materials are not top-notch, but they are better than what we have seen. The seats are large and comfortable and have an appreciably soft padding in all the right places. The leg-room and knee-room are excellent, and it’s the same story at the rear.
Projector headlamps look smart and have a good spread
The second row bench seat offers good thigh support and excellent passenger room, enough for three. There are adjustable head-restraints at the rear, and, to benefit visibility, the rear windscreen also has a demister. Moreover, there are ISOFIX child-seat anchors, too. Brilliant.
The D-Max surprises with its kit. There are anti-lock brakes and dual front airbags. Convenience features include automatic climate control with a pollen filter. The centre touch-screen has three display modes. There are storage spaces around the cabin — covered and open. Overall, the ergonomics seem well-thought-out and it’s very spacious and comfortable.
From a driver’s perspective, the instrument binnacle looks bland. There’s only one centre information display, and the dials on either side are, well, just dials. The centre display has to be operated manually to shuffle through in
formation. The driver’s seat is six-way adjustable, yes, but it’s quite high, and there’s no height adjustment.
The engine is a 2.5-litre BS IV-compliant turbo-diesel unit making a peak 136 PS and 320 Nm. That’s substantial, especially when you consider it’s a lazy utilitarian diesel engine that churns out the numbers accompanied by grunts and snorts — exactly how a big truck should. It’s a different sort of pleasure. The engine may be noisy, but it is refined. Power delivery characteristics are very linear, and the build-up of revs is smooth under that clatter with no vibration or harshness whatsoever.
The transmission is a five-speed manual unit with selectable four-wheel drive. There’s a rear-only 2WD, or high- and low-ratio 4WD at the turn of a knob.
Even so, there’s nothing that really upsets the D-Max at off-road and city speeds. In the hills, the hairpins and winding bends did present some roll, but it was not disconcerting. The V-CrossD-Max isn’t exactly a slouch, though it did take a rather leisurely 16.3 seconds to get from 0 to 100 km/h. That’s not the measure you want, though, is it? The D-Max returned 8.5 km/l in the city and 11.5 km/l on the highway for a commendable overall figure of 9.25 km/l, in 4x2 mode, of course.
So how does the D-Max V-Cross fit into your life? Well, if you have to ask that question, it isn’t for you. But, there’s no bread-and-butter reason to go out and get one. If you didn’t have to ask that question and are curious about its abilities, or if you think a sunroof is a hyped component of cars trying to be more interesting and you would rather prefer a truck-bed where you can put in a mattress and gaze at the stars, or drive all the way to Norway and stare at the mesmerising swirls of the Aurora Borealis, it does seem to make a strong case for itself.
It’s the V-Cross go-anywhere attitude that we loved. It’s not just a pick-up truck you take along for the ride. It’s a companion that won’t let you down and keeps you happy through the journey you take with it.
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